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Haiti Earthquake Flashcards

1
Q

What is Haiti’s population?

A

Haiti has a population of 10.6 million.

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2
Q

Where is Haiti located?

A

Haiti is located on the island of Hispaniola.

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3
Q

What type of natural hazards is Haiti prone to?

A

Haiti is a disaster hotspot, prone to earthquakes, storms, floods, and epidemics.

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4
Q

What percentage of Haiti is mountainous?

A

60 per cent of Haiti is mountainous.

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5
Q

What environmental issue contributes to landslides in Haiti?

A

Deforestation contributes to landslides and mudslides in Haiti.

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6
Q

What has caused rapid deforestation in Haiti?

A

Deforestation is caused by Haitians cutting trees down for fuelwood and charcoal.

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7
Q

What is Haiti’s GDP per capita?

A

Haiti’s GDP is £1,300.

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8
Q

What percentage of Haitians live on less than US$2 a day?

A

77 per cent of Haitians live on less than US$2 a day.

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9
Q

What is the disaster risk equation?

A

Risk (R) = Hazards x Vulnerability.

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10
Q

What are the four types of vulnerability?

A
  1. Physical Vulnerability 2. Social Vulnerability 3. Economic Vulnerability 4. Environmental Vulnerability.
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11
Q

What does Physical Vulnerability refer to?

A

Physical Vulnerability links to population density levels, remoteness, and quality of housing.

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12
Q

What does Social Vulnerability refer to?

A

Social Vulnerability refers to the inability to organize to cope with adverse impacts to hazards.

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13
Q

What does Economic Vulnerability refer to?

A

Economic Vulnerability links to the economic status of individuals and communities.

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14
Q

What does Environmental Vulnerability refer to?

A

Environmental Vulnerability refers to natural resource depletion and resource degradation.

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15
Q

Why is vulnerability so high

A

People in Haiti are very vulnerable. There has been a long history of national debt, extreme poverty and poor housing conditions that tend to exacerbate death toll.

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16
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A
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17
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A
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18
Q

What was the magnitude of the earthquake?

A

A strong earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale.

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19
Q

What is the population density near the earthquake’s epicenter?

A

The earthquake occurred only 25 km away from the capital, Port-au-Prince, which has over 2.4 million residents.

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20
Q

What types of buildings were common in Port-au-Prince?

A

Many residents lived in tin-roofed shacks perched on unstable, steep ravines.

After a school collapsed in Pétionville in 2008, the capital’s mayor stated that 60% of its buildings were unsafe even under normal conditions.

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21
Q

How far was the epicenter of the earthquake from the capital?

A

The epicenter was only 25 km from the capital.

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22
Q

At what depth did the earthquake occur?

A

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 13 km.

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23
Q

What are the implications of the earthquake’s shallow depth?

A

The seismic waves had to travel a smaller distance through the earth to reach the surface, maintaining more of their energy.

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24
Q

What secondary hazards resulted from the earthquake?

A

567 landslides, cholera killed 10,000, a tsunami killed 3 and destroyed some houses, and liquefactions occurred at the docks.

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25
What date did the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti occur?
January 12, 2010.
26
What was the magnitude of the earthquake on the Richter Scale?
7.
27
How did the ground shaking in Port-au-Prince measure on the Mercalli scale?
9 (IX).
28
What was the epicenter distance from Port-au-Prince?
About 15 miles.
29
What types of buildings collapsed during the earthquake?
Thousands of buildings, including shanty towns and well-built structures like the United Nations headquarters.
30
What was the initial estimated death toll after the earthquake?
Up to 10,000 deaths.
31
What was the final death toll after the earthquake?
Well over 200,000.
32
What challenges did search and rescue operations face?
Blocked roads and limited landing availability at Haiti's airport.
33
What immediate needs did survivors face in the weeks after the earthquake?
Lack of shelter, food, and clean water.
34
What was established for the homeless survivors?
Huge tent cities.
35
What is Haiti's status as an economically developed country?
It is a less economically developed country (LIC) and the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.
36
What was Haiti's GDP per person before the earthquake?
$1,180.
37
What percentage of the population lived in absolute poverty before the earthquake?
Over half lived on less than $1 a day.
38
What are the plans for rebuilding Haiti?
To reconstruct with more earthquake-resistant buildings using steel-reinforced concrete and flexible structures.
39
What contributed to the structural vulnerability of buildings in Haiti?
An absence of building codes and a deficit of licensed contractors, engineers, and architects.
40
What was the condition of many buildings during the earthquake?
They were brittle and had no flexibility, leading to catastrophic breaks.
41
What happened to much of Port-au-Prince during the earthquake?
Much of Port-au-Prince was flattened in less than 60 seconds.
42
How many lives were lost in the earthquake?
Over 230,000 lives were lost.
43
What percentage of poorly built concrete buildings collapsed?
Fifty per cent of densely packed and poorly built concrete buildings collapsed.
44
Which key government buildings were affected by the earthquake?
Key government buildings such as the police headquarters and the Palais Législatif collapsed.
45
What happened to the Palais National?
The Palais National was damaged beyond repair.
46
How many homes were damaged and how many people were made homeless?
Over 180,000 homes were damaged and 1.5 million people were made homeless.
47
How many people left Port-au-Prince after the earthquake?
Over 600,000 people left Port-au-Prince, most to live with host families.
48
How many schools were damaged or destroyed?
Nearly 5,000 schools were damaged or destroyed.
49
What caused building foundations to subside?
Liquefaction on looser sediments caused building foundations to subside.
50
What happened to the infrastructure after the earthquake?
Infrastructure was severely damaged; the main port subsided and became unusable, and roads were cracked.
51
What significant aftershock occurred after the earthquake?
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded on 20 January.
52
How was the Haitian government affected by the earthquake?
The government was crippled due to the loss of hundreds of civil servants and destruction of ministries.
53
What happened to law enforcement in Port-au-Prince after the earthquake?
The city became lawless due to the devastation of the police force and destruction of the main prison.
54
What health crisis arose by the first anniversary of the earthquake?
By the first anniversary, cholera had killed over 1,500 people and 1.5 million were still homeless.
55
What were the immediate rescue efforts after the disaster?
International search teams struggled within the dense urban environment. Local people employed by the UNDP helped to find and rescue survivors from the debris and to clear roads.
56
How did the US military assist in infrastructure after the disaster?
The US military took control of the airport to speed up the distribution of aid and reopened one of the two piers in the port.
57
What measures were taken to restore security?
16000 UN troops and police restored law and order, coordinated by a new UN/US Joint Operations Tasking Centre.
58
Who provided food assistance in the absence of local markets?
The UN World Food Programme provided basic food necessities, and farmers were given immediate support before the spring planting season.
59
What water interventions were made for the affected population?
The UK Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) provided bottled water and purification tablets for over 250,000 people.
60
What health services were established after the disaster?
Emergency surgeries were established to perform life-saving operations. The DEC provided over 100,000 consultations and built 3,000 latrines.
61
How many people were accommodated in emergency shelters?
Around 1.5 million homeless people were accommodated in over 1,100 camps, mostly in the form of tarpaulins.
62
What risks did the homeless population face in emergency shelters?
Over 100,000 of these people were at critical risk from storms and flooding.
63
64
What is the total amount of the reconstruction package managed by the Haiti Relief Fund?
The reconstruction package is US$11.5 billion with controls in place to prevent corruption. ## Footnote Reconstruction is due to be completed by 2020.
65
What reform was made in the farming sector in Haiti?
The farming sector was reformed to encourage greater self-sufficiency and less reliance on food imports.
66
What shift occurred in the health sector in Haiti?
There was a shift in emphasis to focus on follow-up care, including mental health.
67
What improvements were made to buildings in Haiti?
Hospitals, schools, and government buildings were rebuilt to new life-safe building codes. ## Footnote Local people were employed as construction workers.
68
What areas were avoided for new settlements in Haiti?
Slums were demolished and high-risk areas, such as unstable hillsides, were avoided when new settlements were built.
69
What are the characteristics of the new homes built in Haiti?
The new homes are more affordable, safe, and sustainable.
70
What economic strategy was developed for Haiti?
A UN strategy was developed to create new jobs in clothing manufacture, tourism, and agriculture, and to reduce the effects of uncontrolled urbanization.
71
What change was made regarding economic activities in Haiti?
Some economic activities were moved away from Port-au-Prince to less earthquake-prone areas.

Physical Geography (10 decks)

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